Fourth International School On Mind, Brain And Education
2009, August 1-5
Educational Neurosciences
and Ethics
Directors: Antonio M. Battro and Kurt W. Fischer
Program officer: María Lourdes Majdalani
University of British Columbia. CANADA
New models of education in the era of Technology, Neuroscience and Ethics
Neuroethics is the study of the ethical, legal, and societal issues that arise when scientific findings about the brain are carried into medical practice, legal interpretations, and health and social policy. At the National Core for Neuroethics we believe that it is essential for the neuroethics community to be involved in training and actively participate in preparing the next generation of neurologists and neuroscientists. Our view is that neuroethics curricula should be fundamentally embedded into the many different levels of training of neurologists and neuroscientists, and a dynamic and life-long learning goal that meets their needs at all stages of the career trajectory. Over the past few years we have developed several initiatives and multidisciplinary partnerships to promote the integration of neuroethics into the neurosciences using different models of knowledge transfer and outreach to diverse target groups. The projects are: Clinical Neuroethics for Medical Residents, Canadian Dementia Knowledge Translation Network, and Health Sciences Online. A fourth initiative – Core Competencies in Neuroethics – is under development.
I will describe each of these distinct and complementary programs, their strengths and limitations, and conclude with a discussion about future directions for education in neuroscience and ethics.